The first Predator B ‘unmanned aircraft system’ for northern border security is set to arrive at 2 p.m. Thursday at Grand Forks Air Force Base.

The UAS will support U.S. Customs and Border Patrol personnel on the ground. The UAS is slated to begin operational flights as early as January, according to a news release.

The Predator B is capable of flying at speeds of up to 260 mph, more than 18 hours, at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. It is equipped with electro-optical sensors and a synthetic aperture radar that helps document changes.

CBP opened the Grand Forks Air Branch, the fourth of five branches on the northern border, in 2007. CBP monitors 327 air, land and sea ports of entry. It processes more than 70 million international travelers and 35 million vehicles, makes about 4,000 arrests and intercepts 40,000 pounds of illegal drugs annually.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency with the Department of Homeland Security charged with management, control and protection of the U.S. Canada border and between official ports of entry. CBP is responsible for keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing U.S. laws.

The UAS is scheduled to leave Fort Huachuca Airfield in Sierra Vista, Ariz., at 7 a.m. Thursday. Its flight path will take it through airspace over Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Source: http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=95667&section=News